Burial apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- M. OHASTAIN.

B'URIAL APPARATUS. No. 312,816. Patented Feb. 24, 1885.

N 5,5 R wnfisszs: I B l MENT R:

$ ATTORNEYS};

N. PEYERS, Phowmnu n hnr. Wnshi nnnnnnn c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. GHASTAIN.

BURIAL APPARATUS No. 312,816. Patented Feb. 24, 1885.

A LL b l w A Q 6 WITNESSES g Q B MENTOR W A Q I v BY v wfi ATTORNEYS.

\ paratus adjusted as in Fig. 1.

NHFD STATES MARSHAL OHASTAIN,

OF MOULTON, IOl/VA.

BURlAL APPARATUS.

SPECEPIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 312,816, dated February 2 1885..

Application filed December 520, 1884. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARsHAL CHASTAIN, of Moulton, in the county of Appanoose and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improyed Burial Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus to be used in opening and filling graves, and one which may conveniently and safely be operated by a single person, if requlred, and without scattering the loose fresh earth over the grass or lawn around the grave.

The invention consists in particular constructions and combinations of parts of the burial apparatus, all as hereinafter fully de-' scribed and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is an end elevation of my burial apparatus, partly broken away and in section, and as adjusted for lowering the coffin into the grave. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the ap- Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation showing the earth-receptacle tilted to return the earth to the grave, and Fig. 4. is a rear side elevation with the apparatus adjusted as in Fig, 3.

The letter A indicates a box or receptacle which is to receive the earth dug from the grave B, said box A being hinged by pivots or gudgeons a a, formed on the ends of a bar, A, fixed to the bottom of the box A and ranging lengthwise of it from end to end to the end sills, O C, of a baseframe, which sills are connected together by tie beams or bars 0 c,- and the base-frame is mounted on suitable caster-wheels, O, 011 which the burial apparatus may be moved from place to place in the cemetery, as may be required. From each end sill O rises a rear post, D, and a front post, D, which are tied together at the top by a cross-beam, D, and to the opposite crossbeams D is fixed the head-beam E, which serves to tie the beams D to each other and to stiffen and brace the opposite end upright frames together; ahd to the head-beam E are journaled the pulleys or sheaves e e, over which the coffin-lowering ropes pass. Suitable metal braces, as at d, are provided to brace the upright end frames to the sills O C and the timbers of the end frames to each other and the head-beam E to the eross-beams D so as to make a light strong structure.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the beams D D of the opposite end frames project forward some little distance beyond the faces of the posts D and the front A- of the earth-box A, and at the extreme forward ends of the beams D is journaled the longitudinally-ranging roller F, which has circumferential grooves f to serve as guides to the coffin-lowering ropes G G,which ropes may be set in two of the grooves f f at greater or less distance apart, to accommodate the length of the coffin H to be lowered by the ropes G, which are provided. with end hooks, into which rings or eyes h on the ends of the coffin-holding straps I are passed. (See Figs. 1 and 2-.)

Between the opposite rear frame-posts, D D, and at about the center of the height of the earth-box A, is journaled the long shaft or roller J, which has end cranks, K, thus making a windlass on which to wind the operating-ropes of the apparatus; and at L is a rod or bar which is pivoted to one sill O, and has an eye, Z, at its other end, which may be set on one of the cranks or handles K, as in Figs. 1 and 2, to prevent turning of the windlass. The back ends of the ropes G G are provided with hooks g g, which may be engaged with eyes M M, fixed to the windlassshaft J which shaft also has an eye, N, with which may be engaged the hook 0 on one end of a rope, O, which passes over a guideroller, 0, j ournaled in suitable metal plates or bearings fixed to the left-hand frame-post D, whence the rope 0 passes to connect at 0 with the upper part of the rear side of the box A. shaft J also has fixed to it an eye, P, with The windlass-- which may be engaged a hook, g, on one end hinged in any suitable manner at its upper edge to the end walls of the boxas, for instance, by strap-irons a on the front engaging by their eyes a rod, a held in the end walls of the box; and on the box-front are pivoted the catches T, which may be engaged by their hooked ends with the eyes or staples t, fixed to the floor of the box, to look its front closed while the earth is being thrown into it; and to the rear frame-posts, D D, are pivoted the hooks U, which may be engaged with the eyes a on the ends of the box A, to prevent swinging of the box on its pivots a a. I provide for the box A a loosely-fitting transverse partition, V, which has fixed to its upper edge a plate having a hook, c, which extends behind the rear side of the box A, to hold the partition to it when the box is tilted to discharge the earth into the grave. It is evident that the partition V may be shifted to any position along the box A to form a receptacle to receive the earth from a grave of any length, and to confine the earth in the box within the limits of the length of the grave, so that when the box is tilted the earth will all fall into the grave and not upon the grass or lawn at the ends of the grave, thus keeping the grass clean, and permitting the grave to be finished at the top without delay, and so as to present, with its surroundings, a clean and nice appearance.

To hold the loose partition V in place in the box A and against the outward pressure of the earth against it, I provide an extensible frame, WV, consisting of two pairs of opposite bars, to w, connected at the ends by cross rods or bars w, and pivoted together on a rod or bar, w so that the crossed bars '20 to may be set at any desired angle with each other to lengthen or shorten the frame W to any desired extent to hold the partition V at the proper place in the box A. A chain, as,

fixed to one of the cross-rods 20 may be engaged by any one of the links of said chain with ahook, :0, held on the opposite pivotrod, to, to prevent closing together of the crossed bars 10 w and hold them extended at any desired adj ustment; and I prolong one of the crossrods w of the frame W, so it may enter a hole at X, made in the bottom of the box A,to prevent shifting or fall of the frame when the box is tilted to discharge the earth.

The operation is as follows: The burial apparatus will be positioned at the place where the grave is to be dug, with the rollerF ranging lengthwise with the center of the grave which will be dug, and the earth removed will be thrown into the box A, in which the partition V had previously been adjusted when the grave is a short one, as above explained. The ropes Q Q, being disconnected from the windlass-shaft J, the ropes G G are hooked to the shaft at the eyes M M, and then wound on the shaft by turning the cranks K until the straps I, which had been attached at one end to the opposite end hooks, g, of ropes G, are raised about to the bottom of the box A,when the eye Z of the rod L will be placed over the adjacent crank K to lock thewindlass against turning. The coffin H now will be placed in the straps I, so as to hang from the ropes G over the grave, and the rodL will be removed from crank K, and the windlass then turned to lower the coffin into the grave, whereupon one end of the straps I will be unhooked, and the straps will be drawn from the grave by turning the windlass. The ropes G will then be unhooked from the shaft J, and both ends of the ropes be thrown over the end frame cross beams D The rope 0 now will be hooked to the windlass-shaft at N, and will be wound on said shaft from the side facing the box A until the rope draws tight. Theboxfastenings at T U now will be unhooked, and the rope Q will be hooked to the windlassshaft J at P, and the windlass will be turned backward, which will draw the rope Q and tilt the box A, so as to empty the earth into the grave as the front A of the box swings open, the rope O meanwhile unwinding from the windlass; and when the earth, or so much of it as is required, is emptied from the box A, the windlass will be turned the other way to again wind rope 0 onto the shaft J, which will swing or tilt the box Aback to horizontal position, when its hooks T U may be engaged with the eyes t u to lock the front A and hold the box .A in place on the frame, ready for the next interment.

In Fig. 2 I show a full-length coffin and grave; hence the partition V and its braceframe W will not be used, said parts V W being shown in said figure merely to illustrate their relative positions when used in opening shorter graves, as will readily be understood.

By the use of my improved apparatus interments may be made with little or no scattering of earth about the lawn around the grave, and by one person, if required, thus economizing time and labor; and the apparatus is not expensive, and may be operated easily and safely.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A burial apparatus consisting of a movable frame provided with a tilting earth-box having a removable or hinged side, a windlass, and operating-ropes, substantially as herein set forth.

2. A burial apparatus constructed with an earth-box, A, having a hinged front side, A, and pivoted on a movable frame which has opposite transverse end beams, D proj eoting beyond the box-front and carrying a roller,F, and a head-beam, E, a windlass, J K, at the rear side of the box A, the ropes G, passing over roller F and through guides on beam E and adapted to support the coffin, the rope 0, connected at o to the upper part of box A, and the rope Q, connected to the head of the frame at q and to the lower'part of the earthbox, said ropes G O Q being adapted for connection to the windlass-shaft J, substantially as herein set forth.

3. A burialapparatus constructed with an A and pivoted on a movable frame-having beams D projecting beyond the front of box A and carrying a roller, F, provided with a series of grooves, f, the head-beam E, having rollers e, the Windlass J K, journaled at the rear side of box A,and provided with eyes or staples M M N P, the ropes G G, adapted to hang from roller F and beam E and to support the coffin by connection to the eyes M M on the Windlass-shaft J, therope 0, connected at 0 to the upper rear part of the box A, and adapted for connection to the eye N on shaft J, the rope Q, connected to the head beam E at q and passing over a lower pulley, S, con nected to the lower rear part of the box A and over a pulley, R, held to the headbeam E, and said rope Q adapted to be connected tothe eye P of the windlassshaft J, all substantially as herein set forth.

MARSHAL OHAS'I AIN.

\Vitn esses:

C. W. MOOANDLESS, G. W. MOGLURE. 

